No more player piano rolls

[dhermann1]

Ethel Toffelmeyer, our fine player piano player . . . piano . . . must be very sad to read this:
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/538967.html?imw=Y

 

[skyvue]

I was browsing a vintage shop in Oklahoma City over the holidays that had in stock two or three dozen vintage piano rolls that were very reasonably priced (or so it seemed to me) at $5 per.

It made me wish I had a player piano. I'd have snapped up the whole bunch.

 

[The Shirt]

We used to have a beautiful one when I was a kid. My dad used to call it time to exercise for us little ones. We would go as fast as we could on those pedals. Dueling Banjos was my favorite as I recall. We had hundreds of rolls.

Unfortunately when we moved, the piano was left behind as it was too hard to move in my fathers eyes and we kids had seemingly outgrown it's charm. What I would give to have that piano today.

 

[Flivver]

QRS is a company with a long and interesting history.

During the radio boom that occurred in the early 1920s, QRS was concerned that radio might eat into the player piano business. So they got into radio in a small way by manufacturing radio sets for Zenith and by marketing an interesting line of vacuum tubes for radios.

 

[dhermann1]

From what I've heard, players pianos are pretty amazing conraptions. Not only do they reproduce the notes played, but they reproduce the pedal actions, and even the pressure on the keys of the original person who made the roll. So you're really getting a precise recreation of the performance made by the original player. There are piano rolls made by a number of famous performers.

 

[Flivver]

Regular player pianos (the common variety) reproduce only the notes.

Pianos that re-create the actual performance are usually called reproducing pianos. These were quite popular in the 1920s among the wealthy.

A friend of mine owns a reproducing piano...it's quite impressive to hear. Of course, the rolls are different from regular player piano rolls and quite a bit harder to find.

 

[Forgotten Man]

My grandparents have a player piano... it hasn't worked in 25 years lol but, I remember it playing and sounded rather good when it did work. I remember opening a small cabinet next to the piano and seeing all these long narrow boxes full of rolls for the piano. Also, I recall a friend north of me in town had a 1919 Player Piano and that thing played great... sounded fantastic!

They'll become like 78s or any other record for that matter. Just because they don't make something any longer, that doesn't mean that you'll not be able to find it still.

80% of the stuff I use isn't made any longer which means you'll just have find it in other places then a traditional shop.

 

[dhermann1]

Actually, they said they plan to resume production in a smaller plant in Pennsylvania some time in the future.

 

[Miss Sis]

Our Pianola (as player pianos are also known) is currently residing in my brother's ex-girlfriend's garage in New Zealand. Suspect it is not in the best of condition, sadly. The bellows were giving out a good 15 years ago and you had to pump the peddles like mad just to get it to go.

When I was 11 my mother saw one at someone's house and was determined she had to own one too. We got ours soon afterwards and also 120 rolls of music. Most of it was 1920s songs that my Nana was familiar with! We delighted her by playing them many times. I remember she asked us to play 'Anniversary Waltz' for her as "It was my mother's favourite"!!!

We also picked up some rolls at auction and even found a company in the suburbs of Wellington selling the new QRS rolls. We bought 'The Entertainer' new.

We had so much fun with it. My mother and I love to sing and we learnt so many songs that were new to us. I particularly liked 'Silver Dollar' and 'It's Only a Shanty (In Old Shanty Town)' Hope we get it back some day.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

A few months ago, Fedoragent and I went to a C.A.P.S. (California Antique Phonograph Society) sale. There were hundreds of vintage player piano rolls for sale. Many of them in their original boxes.


Lee

 

[tuppence]

We have a cupboard full of pianola rolls at my mothers
And a pianola that sadly doesn't work, inherited from my great-grandfather
I think playing all those rolls as a kid, is what gave me the love of listening to 20's 30's music today